A life, pocket cameras, and a studio practice.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Copyright and Fair Use Issue #1000000000000000000000000000000000

Part 5

Artists don’t seem all that clear themselves when they discuss their relationship to copyright and fair use. For example in Print magazine, Milton Glaser says, "...For myself—this is subjective—I find the relationship between Fairey’s work and his sources discomforting. Nothing substantial has been added. In my own case, when I did the Dylan poster, I acknowledged using Duchamp’s profile as an influence... " Look at the pictures below and see why this raises the gray areas of fair use, plagiarism, referencing, and appropriation. The little block on the upper right of the famous Dylan poster says "Milton Glaser." Yup, I didn't see Duchamp's or Peter Max's name either.

Perhaps we should look to the old phrases guide us; "Let your conscience be your guide," "Handsome is as handsome does," "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Or maybe we just want to have our cake and eat it too.

Susan and Kurt

Susan Shaw is an internationally exhibited painter and photographer. Private and public collections include the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Shaw is the recipient of two New York State Artist’s Fellowships and 2007/2009 residency fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center.

Kurt Hoss is a freelance photographer capturing the exuberance of
New York City for 35 years. A favorite project has been documenting life in south western Louisiana, culminating in two recent books, Going to Lafayette and Bosco Swamp.

Shaw and Hoss recently received an AVA gold award for video production, as producers of The Mermaid Parade.